2024 Pick Records

Brandon

Last week: 15-6
Overall: 58-21
2023 Record: 159-25
2022 Record: 172-29

Justin

Last week: 15-6
Overall: 60-19
2023 Record: 160-24
2022 Record: 174-27

Kryndon

Last week: 17-4
Overall:  57-22

BROADCAST SCHEDULE

KNZA 103.9 FM – Royal Valley at Perry-Lecompton
KMZA 92.1 FM – Maur Hill-Mount Academy at Centralia
KAIR 93.7 FM – Valley Falls at McLouth
KOZA 96.9 FM – Lansing at Seaman
Holton Channel – Holton at Jefferson West
Sabetha Channel – Sabetha at ACCHS
Hiawatha Channel – Hiawatha at Hayden
Cobra Channel – Pleasant Ridge at Jackson Heights

Week 5 Games

8M-I District 4

(0-4) Washington County at (2-2) Clifton-Clyde

Washington County Tigers for their third straight week get egged on the scoreboard with their loss last Friday to Lincoln, 50-0. Washington in their last three games have been outscored 172-0 and this year 214-14. The series with Lincoln is now tied 3-3 with Lincoln winning each of the last three meetings against the Tigers.

After starting their year 0-2 facing opponents who were top-ranked in 8M-II classification the Clifton-Clyde Eagles have finally taken flight with back-to-back wins, taking a major win last week against Lakeside-Downs, 56-6. The Eagles held Lakeside-Downs to just 35 passing yards and 32 rushing yards on 22 carries. The Eagles lead the all-time series against the Knights 9-2 now. 

Clifton-Clyde leads the series against the Washington County Tigers 10-8, having not lost since 2003.

Brandon’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Justin’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde
Kryndon’s Pick: Clifton-Clyde

8M-II District 3

(4-0) Hanover at (3-1) Blue Valley-Randolph – TVL

Hanover is now 4-0 for the first time since 2020, the year they went on the become 8M-II state champions, of course, there’s still a long way to go but the 28-22 win over the #2 ranked in 8M-II Frankfort Wildcats was a huge accomplishment. Kadrick Cohorst had a total of three touchdowns on the game for Hanover, including the last touchdown to break the 22-22 tie, making it 28-22 by finding Cameron Jueneman in the back of the endzone from 7 yards out. Hanover has now won 16 out of the last 20 games against Frankfort. 

After starting the year off 3-0 for the first time since 2013 Blue Valley-Randolph takes their first loss of their year in a lob-sided 64-8 to Axtell last week. They allowed Axtell to put up 38 points in the first quarter and 28 points in the second before having the game called at the half. The Rams had a staggering -29 rushing yards off 21 attempts but were able to find some success in the air with 179 passing yards off 16 completed passes. Axtell is now 28-7 in the all-time series against the Rams. 

Hanover is 19-1 against Blue Valley-Randolph in their twenty matchups played since 2000, the sole win from the Rams being in 2005 when the Rams won 32-20.

Brandon’s Pick: Hanover
Justin’s Pick: Hanover
Kryndon’s Pick: Hanover

(4-0) Axtell at (2-2) Wakefield

The Axtell Eagles come off another game called at the half, this time against Blue Valley-Randolph 64-8. This win also snapped the Ram's perfect 3-0 record on the season. Axtell forced two turnovers off interceptions, had 12 total first downs, never saw a fourth nor third down once, had a total of 211 offensive yards, and overall dominated the gridiron. The Eagles now extend their state-leading winning streak to 43 wins. 

The Wakefield Bombers took a rough on-the-road loss to Rural Vista 52-6. The Bombers have now lost two straight after starting the season hot with two wins and at one point outsourcing their opponents 84-28. 

Axtell leads the series against Wakefield 2-1, having won the last two matchups, which includes the dominant playoff victory last year against the Bombers 58-0.

Brandon’s Pick: Axtell
Justin’s Pick: Axtell
Kryndon’s Pick: Axtell

8M-II District 4

(1-3) Linn at (0-4) Beloit-St. Johns Tipton

For three straight years now the Linn Bulldogs have been 1-3 heading into week number five, with Bulldogs just managing to clinch a solid win last week against Thunder Ridge 39-16. Despite allowing Thunder Ridge to finish the game with over 250 offensive yards and averaging eight yards per carry the Bulldog's defense held strong in the 39-16 win. Linn and Thunder Ridge met for the first time last Friday.

St. Johns-Tipton lost 54-0 in a game that was called at half last week against the Osborne Bulldogs. Right now, the Bluejays commander at quarterback Tyson Gates is having a rough year with only 128 passing yards, 4 interceptions, and a completion rating of 32%. However, Gates is the leading rusher of the team with 75 yards and a touchdown, but on the downside, he’s only averaging 1.8 yards per carry off 42 attempts. In addition to all the team’s losses in yards, they come at a net total of 36 rushing yards on the season. The Bluejays are also being outscored 208-14 by their opponents on the year.  

The Bluejays lead the all-time series against Linn 4-2, having won the last four straight matchups. Both teams haven’t met since 2019.

Brandon’s Pick: Linn
Justin’s Pick: Linn
Kryndon’s Pick: Linn

1A District 2

(1-3) Rossville at (3-1) Mission Valley

Not much to talk about with Rossville from last week as they took a forfeit win against Maranatha so they will be playing their first game in two weeks against Mission Valley. Tayson Horak leading the way at quarterback for Rossville with 432 passing yards and leading the team with 342 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns.

Mission Valley opened district play last week with a 46-22 win over Cair Paravel. They’ve won back-to-back games after suffering their lone loss in week two to Council Grove who is undefeated through four weeks. Mission Valley’s offense averages nearly 200 rushing yards per game and 100 passing yards per game. Quarterback Porter Deters has thrown for 329 yards and four touchdowns and is the team’s leading rusher at 342 yards and seven scores.

This will be the first meeting between Rossville and Mission Valley since 2021. Rossville has won four in a row against Mission Valley and 13 of the last 14 dating back to 2004. The only win in that stretch for Mission Valley was 33-27 back in 2017.

Brandon’s Pick: Rossville
Justin’s Pick: Rossville
Kryndon’s Pick: Rossville

1A District 3

(0-4) Pleasant Ridge at (4-0) Jackson Heights – NEKL – Cobra Channel

It’s been a tough opening month of the 2024 season for Pleasant Ridge as they dropped to 0-4 last week losing their district opener to Jefferson County North 26-6. The six points against JCN was their first points scored since week one. The Rams have lost nine games in a row dating back to last season.

Jackson Heights is up a spot to #3 in the latest K-Preps rankings in Class 1A this week behind only defending champs Conway Springs and Sedgwick. Titus Eisenbarth rushed for four touchdowns and nearly 100 yards last week in a 57-0 win over McLouth. The Cobras have posted three straight shutouts and have outscored their first four opponents 200-7 this season.

Jackson Heights have won four straight against the Rams including last season 46-14. The Rams won six straight against Jackson Heights from 2004-2009 with 2009 being the last time that Pleasant Ridge defeated Jackson Heights.

Brandon’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Justin’s Pick: Jackson Heights
Kryndon’s Pick: Jackson Heights

(0-4) Valley Falls at (2-2) McLouth – NEKL – KAIR 93.7

The Dragons continue to struggle to put up points this season as they lost their district opener last week at Onaga 38-6. Valley Falls haven’t scored more than eight points in any game this season while the defense is giving up nearly 37 points per game. The Dragons have lost 10 straight games dating back to last season.

McLouth have dropped back-to-back games since starting the season 2-0. They lost the district opener last week at Jackson Heights 57-0 after losing to Riverside in week three. They beat ACCHS and Troy in their first two games of the season.

McLouth beat Valley Falls last season 45-0 and have won five straight against the Dragons. Valley Falls looking for their first win over McLouth since 2010. Since 2004, McLouth holds an 8-4 advantage in the series.

Brandon’s Pick: McLouth
Justin’s Pick: McLouth
Kryndon’s Pick: McLouth

(2-2) Onaga at (3-1) Jefferson County North

The Onaga Buffaloes finally snatched a win after their back-to-back losses to tough TVL opponents by destroying the Valley Falls Dragons 38-6. The Buffaloes had an incredible defensive game forcing three turnovers: two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Onaga also held the Dragons to a total of 114 offensive yards. The Buffaloes are now 13-4 when playing Valley Falls. 

Jefferson County North has finally found some rhythm, winning their last three straight. Last week the Chargers beat Pleasant Ridge 26-6 in what was an electric offensive performance from the Chargers quarterback, Will Elias. Elias rushed for a total of 141 yards and two rushing touchdowns off 12 carries, but then also tacked on 75 passing yards and a single passing touchdown to Christopher Noll who went for 39 yards on the score. 

Onaga is 3-2 all-time when facing Jefferson County North, but both teams have not met since 1995, which ended in a 40-7 win for the Buffaloes, this was when Ron Lee was still the head coach of Onaga.

Brandon’s Pick: Jefferson County North
Justin’s Pick: Jefferson County North
Kryndon’s Pick: Onaga

1A District 4

(1-3) Horton at (3-1) Riverside – NEKL

Horton had a tough go at home last week against Troy dropping their district opener 44-16. They were down 8-0 after the first quarter but allowed Troy to score 36 points in the second quarter to put the game away. Horton turned the ball over three times and gave up nearly 240 yards of offense to Troy. Horton rushed for 168 yards on 39 carries but could only manage six passing yards.

Riverside won at Maur Hill-Mount Academy last week 21-14 in their district opener. It’s their third straight win since starting the season with a loss to Jackson Heights. Elijah Moore rushed for nearly 200 yards and found the endzone multiple times as he dominated the ground game. The Riverside defense has given up just 28 points during their three-game winning streak.

Riverside and Horton will be meeting up for the first time since 2019 with Riverside winning that game 55-0. Riverside has won three straight against Horton with the Chargers last win over the Cyclones coming back in 2014.

Brandon’s Pick: Riverside
Justin’s Pick: Riverside
Kryndon’s Pick: Riverside

(2-2) Maur Hill-Mount Academy at (3-1) Centralia – 92.1 KMZA

Maur Hill-Mount Academy has now alternated their wins and losses each week this year, unfortunately for the Ravens, last week was the heart-breaking loss and it was to Riverside, 21-14. The Ravens are currently being outscored in the year 108-101. They have both lost a game by one possession and won and lost a game by 50+ points. Riverside winning last week makes the matchup history since 2011 5-5. 

After spending the first two weeks on the road, the Centralia Panthers have been on a home tear, they’ve won two straight home games by outscoring their opponents 100-20 in comparison to their 126-75 outscoring opponents on the year. The Panthers destroyed Doniphan West last week 58-14 in an impressive win. Centralia continues its dominance over Doniphan West through the all-time matchup leading it 16-1, the last time the Mustangs won was back in 2006.

This will be the first meeting of all time between the Ravens and the Panthers. This will also be the second to last home game of the season for Centralia.

Brandon’s Pick: Centralia
Justin’s Pick: Centralia
Kryndon’s Pick:

(3-1) Troy at (1-3) Doniphan West

Troy is 3-1 for the first time since 2022 and the Trojans are coming off back-to-back dominant wins, last week’s crushing win was against Horton, 44-16. Tory came out hot scoring all of 44 of their points in the first half and didn’t let Horton finally touch the board until the fourth quarter. Despite being outrushed 168 yards to 98, the Trojans had 238 yards compared to the Chargers 174. Gannon Bowe stepped back in at quarterback after being out from injury last week and had one incredible game back, Bowe lit up the ground with 131 yards passing, 51 yards rushing, and two touchdowns. Caden Rosenberger was his main target getting 5 receptions for 101 yards and having both of Bowe’s passing touchdowns. Since 2004 Troy has held a 14-2 advantage over Horton.

Doniphan West takes a tough loss in their second straight road game against the Centralia Panthers, 58-14. On the positive side for The Mustangs, they have scored 14 points each in their last three straight games, and senior Kelby Windmeyer has been on fire. The Mustangs however have been outscored 159-42.  Doniphan West continues to struggle against Centralia through the all-time matchup falling 16-1, the only win the Mustangs have been back in 2006. 

The Trojans lead the series 9-5 against Doniphan West, with the Mustangs having won the last matchup in 2017, 18-13. This was the year right after Troy was state champions in 2-1A State having gone 13-0 in 2016.

Brandon’s Pick: Troy
Justin’s Pick: Troy
Kryndon’s Pick: Troy

1A District 5

(3-1) Valley Heights at (0-4) Bennington

Valley Heights came off their third straight win of the season with a mighty takedown 32-16 over Sacred Heart. Valley Heights struck first with a touchdown from Jayden DeWalt. The Mustangs would also add another touchdown via the air raid with a 47-yard pass. Valley Heights took a 12-6 lead going into half and coming out in the third quarter were able to tack on a 50-yard touchdown run to lead 18-8. The Mustangs did not look back the rest of the way and they’ve done the same with outscoring their opponents a total of 149 to 70 on the year. Valley Heights with the win now tie their record against Sacred Heart 2-2.

It’s been two years since the Bennington Bulldogs have been off to another 0-4 start, and their losing continued last week against Republic County with a heart-breaking final of 18-14. The Bulldogs minimized Republic County to 45 passing yards but did not have an answer to the ground game as Buffaloes went on to have 145 yards rushing, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, and three total rushing touchdowns. The heartbreaking loss last week was also the first time the Bulldogs have ever lost to Republic County, with the Buffaloes now making the all-time series 4-1. 

Valley Heights is 6-2 when playing Bennington. The Mustangs and Bulldogs haven’t played since their stretch of games between 2002-2009, and the only games the Bulldogs won were by just 7 points: 10-3 in 2003, 20-13 in 2005.

Brandon’s Pick: Valley Heights
Justin’s Pick: Valley Heights
Kryndon’s Pick: Valley Heights

2A District 3

(3-1) St. Marys at (3-1) Riley County – Big East

Both teams need an important district win after losing district openers last Friday.  St. Marys looks to recover from a heartbreaking 26-20 loss to Silver Lake as the Eagles scored the game winning touchdown with :15 seconds left after the Bears rallied from a 20-6 deficit in the 4th quarter to tie the contest at 20-20. 

QB Brady Hurla threw for 211 yards and a TD and Korleone Holz ran for 97 yards and at TD to go along with a 43 yard TD reception, but it wasn’t enough as the Bears threw 3 interceptions, had issues on special teams, and committed 12 penalties. They will have to clean up those mistakes against a Riley County Falcon team that is smarting from a 34-13 loss to undefeated Council Grove. 

This will be the 1st meeting between the 2 schools since 2021.  For the 2nd straight week, the Bears will try to end a long losing streak against their foe as Riley County has beaten St. Marys 12 straight times with the Bears last win over Riley County coming in 2009!

Brandon’s Pick: Riley County
Justin’s Pick: St. Marys
Kryndon’s Pick: St. Marys

2A District 4

(3-1) Sabetha at (2-2) ACCHS – Sabetha Channel

Sabetha has played in some entertaining, low scoring games so far this season and that continued last week with a 7-6 win at home against Royal Valley. It was the seventh straight win for the Bluejays over the Panthers dating back to 2015. Sabetha beat Holton 7-6 in week one and then they suffered their lone loss to Perry-Lecompton in week two by a final score of 12-9. The only outlier was week three win they won at Hiawatha 35-0.

Don’t look now but ACCHS is playing some good ball as they won their second straight game last week defeating Oskaloosa 60-0. Tigers quarterback Cody Falk completed 8-of-10 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers rushing attack put up nearly 150 yards and averaged six yards per carry. ACCHS have outscored their last two opponents 103-8 after putting up just 12 points in their first two games.

Sabetha dominated ACCHS last season winning 71-6 and the Bluejays have won six in a row against the Tigers. During that stretch, ACCHS has failed to score double digit points in any of those meetings. ACCHS is looking for their first win over Sabetha since 2011. Sabetha is 9-3 against ACCHS dating back to 2006.

Brandon’s Pick: Sabetha
Justin’s Pick: Sabetha
Kryndon’s Pick: Sabetha

(2-2) Oskaloosa at (3-1) Nemaha Central

Oskaloosa had a tough go at it last week losing 60-0 against ACCHS. They’ve been outscored 90-0 in their last two games after starting the season 2-0 with wins against Pleasant Ridge and Valley Falls. Dating back to last season the Bears have played pretty solid as they have won four of their last seven games overall.

Nemaha Central posted one of the most impressive wins in the state last week beating a top five team in 4A on the road in Chanute 13-7. Since they had their long winning streak snapped against Marysville in week one, the Thunder have posted an impressive resume with wins over Silver Lake, Rossville, and last week with Chanute.

This will be the first all-time meeting between Oskaloosa and Nemaha Central. Oskaloosa caught a piece of the action back in 2000 but that was against Nemaha Valley which was a 12-0 playoff win for the Bears.

Brandon’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Justin’s Pick: Nemaha Central
Kryndon’s Pick: Nemaha Central

3A District 4

(2-2) Holton at (0-4) Jefferson West – Big East – Holton Channel

Holton won their second straight game and opened district play by grabbing an early 20-0 first quarter lead and defeating Perry Lecompton 33-14. The Wildcats used a long kickoff return by Bodie Dillon, a blocked punt by Owen Clayton and an interception by Korban Wilson to set up three short touchdown fields. Leading 20-14 at halftime, Holton forced a three-and-out and then marched 74 yards in 15 plays to score a TD and put the game away. The Cats ran for 306 yards led by Kyler Jackson with 100.

Holton lost a senior lineman to injury and will still be starting only three seniors on offense this week at Jeff West. Holton is 25-2 under Coach Brooks Barta dating back to 1996 with the only losses to the Tigers coming by a combined nine points in 2018 (14-12) and 2019 (7-0).

Jeff West is struggling to find a win and score as they fell at Hiawatha 21-0 last week and have not scored on offense the past three games after posting 14 points in week one against Riley County. The Tigers have attempted 68 passes this year for 100 yards per game average but have a mean of just 48 yards rushing through the first four contest and 10 total turnovers. Senior Tucker Holthaus has 381 yards passing and a team high 112 yards rushing this year. Andrew Beilman and Jason Payne both have double digit receptions and more than 140 yards receiving for Jeff West and Cooper Pieschl leads the defense with 54 tackles.  

Brandon’s Pick: Holton
Justin’s Pick:
Kryndon’s Pick: Holton

(1-3) Hiawatha at (3-1) Hayden – Hiawatha Channel

Hiawatha dominated Jefferson West in the second half least and turned a 0-0 halftime score into a 21-0 win for the first victory of the season. Hiawatha forced three Jeff West interceptions including a pick-six by Conner Kettler. Ethan Morton added a couple of short touchdown runs as well in the third quarter. The win for the Redhawks snapped a brief two-game skid against the Tigers.

Hayden comes into week five ranked #4 in Class 3A according to K-Preps and are coming off their first loss of the season against a top five team in 4A in Wamego 31-28. Hayden led the game 28-14 in the third quarter, but the Red Raiders came back to kick what would be a game winning field goal. It was a 27-yarder with just seven seconds left in the game.

Hayden has dominated the last three meetings against Hiawatha winning last season 56-7, 56-0 in 2022, and 51-0 in 2021.

Brandon’s Pick: Hayden
Justin’s Pick: Hayden
Kryndon’s Pick: Hayden

Non-District

(0-4) Thunder Ridge at (3-1) Frankfort – 8M

The Thunder Ridge Longhorns are 0-4 for the first time to start a season since 2017, and it's been a rough ride for them. Last week Thunder Ridge took a staggering loss of 39-16 to the Linn Bulldogs. Despite Thunder Ridge finishing the game with over 250 offensive yards and averaging eight yards per carry the Bulldog's defense proved to be resilient in the 39-16 win. The Longhorns despite the losses have still had great offensive numbers from their upperclassmen: Evan Slavik has 357 passing yards, three touchdowns to four interceptions, and their lead running back, Jimmy Escobar, has rushed for 230 yards on the season with an added 159 yards receiving. It was also the first all-time meeting between the two teams and the Bulldogs now hold the bragging rights over the Longhorns. 

Frankfort took a difficult road loss last week against a major league and district opponent in the Hanover Wildcats, 28-22. The Frankfort Wildcats touched the scoreboard for the first time in the second quarter coming off a Lane Loiseau 1-yard rushing touchdown to cut the game to 16-6. The Frankfort Wildcats scored again with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Wes Anderson to Lane Loiseau to cut the score down to 22-14 by the end of the first half. In the third quarter, they were able to hold Hanover to zero points and managed to get two of their own from a safety. Frankfort tied the game in the fourth quarter to make it 22-22 with Lane Loiseau snagging his third score of the game. Unfortunately, the Frankfort Wildcats couldn’t take use of a final drive with less than thirty seconds down by 6 and dropped their first loss of the year. Frankfort also had 6 more first downs than Hanover did by the end of the game, as well as 50+ more offensive yards. 

Frankfort is 0-2 against Thunder Ridge all time, with both losses being dealt in a single season back in 2021. 60-12 in the regular season and 58-8 in the second round of the playoffs.

Brandon’s Pick: Frankfort
Justin’s Pick: Frankfort
Kryndon’s Pick: Frankfort

(2-2) Royal Valley at (1-3) Perry-Lecompton – Big East – 103.9 KNZA

Royal Valley opened their district schedule last week with a 7-6 loss to Sabetha in what was their first meeting in three years. Royal Valley has now lost seven straight against Sabetha dating back to 2015. The Panthers started the season 2-0 with wins over Hiawatha and Jefferson West but have dropped their last two games against Holton and Sabetha.

Perry-Lecompton lost at Holton last week 33-14 which was their second straight loss. The Kaws defense surrendered over 300 rushing yards to the Wildcats and the Kaws didn’t help their cause with three turnovers and 12 penalties for 95 yards. The Kaws struggled in the passing game competing just 6-of-19 passes for 96 yards, but Bronzen Rush put up a 68-yard touchdown run in the first half.

Royal Valley snapped a five-game losing streak to Perry-Lecompton last season with a 23-14 win. The Kaws beat the Panthers 46-8 two seasons ago. Since 2010, Perry-Lecompton is 9-3 against Royal with the Panthers wins coming in 2023, 2015, and 2010.

Brandon’s Pick:
Justin’s Pick: Perry-Lecompton
Kryndon’s Pick: Royal Valley

(3-1) Silver Lake at (0-4) Baldwin

Silver Lake continued to find a way to beat their foe just down Highway 24 again last Friday in the 2A District 3 opener as they knocked off state-ranked St. Marys, 26-20, thanks to a 40 yard pass from Dysen Schooler to Dayne Johnson with :19 seconds left that put the ball at the one. 

Jayden Waterer powered his way into the end zone four seconds later and just like that, the Eagles defeated St. Marys for the 22nd consecutive time! Silver Lake won despite only 24 rushing yards and being outgained by over 120 yards by the Bears, but timely Eagle plays on offense, terrific special teams play, and 3 forced turnovers from the defense made up for the stat discrepancy. Schooler led the way on offense throwing for 239 yards and 2 scores while Johnson continued to supply the explosive plays with 3 catches for 121 yards and a 68 yard TD.

Now a non-district matchup awaits Silver Lake on Friday as they hit the road to face the winless Baldwin Bulldogs, a 3A school, who is coming off a 49-0 loss to Wellsville.

Brandon’s Pick: Silver Lake
Justin’s Pick: Silver Lake
Kryndon’s Pick: Silver Lake

(3-1) Atchison at (4-0) KC Washington – Meadowlark Conference

Atchison won their third straight game in dominant fashion once again last week beating KC Schlagle 49-6 to stay unbeaten in Meadowlark Conference play as they are trying to defend their conference title. Kolton Bonnel completed 6-of-11 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. The Phoenix rushed for over 200 yards and averaged nearly seven yards per carry. Jaden Carter and Ayden Rebant each found the endzone twice.

How about the start for KC Washington as they’re 4-0 after defeating KC Central last week 60-0. They have outscored their last two opponents 105-0 and have surrendered just 38 points in four games this season. They also have wins over Sumner, Bishop Ward, and Harmon.

Atchison has won three straight against Washington including last season 63-18. Washington’s last win against Atchison was 40-14 back in 2019. The Phoenix have won eight of the last nine games against Washington. Since 2004, Atchison is 11-6 against KC Washington.

Brandon’s Pick: Atchison
Justin’s Pick: Atchison
Kryndon’s Pick: KC Washington